A Mesa man was sentenced to nine years in prison for selling fentanyl, which resulted in a fatal overdose, officials said.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, 24-year-old Dominik Israel Lopez pleaded guilty to fentanyl distribution that resulted in death.
Lopez will serve a nine-year sentence term followed by three years of supervised release.
“At the end of every drug overdose death are countless victims,” United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in the announcement. “There are the dead, taken too early, families who lose loved one and communities slowly being torn apart. This sentenced shows that the Department of Justice will pursue harsh penalties for all drug dealers. I am proud to stand alongside the victim’s family and our law enforcement partners in holding this defendant accountable.”
Details on the fentanyl sale and fatal overdose the Mesa man was sentenced for
Prosecutors said in March 2020 that a man was discovered dead in his Gilbert apartment, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled that his cause of death was fentanyl intoxication.
Investigators determined that the individual had contacted Lopez over the messaging app Whisper and purchased four fentanyl pills from him for $40.
According to prosecutors, the individual consumed just one of the tablets before overdosing and dying.
“The Gilbert Police Department works in close partnership with law enforcement agencies in the ongoing fight against illegal drugs, including holding accountable those whose actions result in death through drug distribution,” Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said. “We remain steadfast in our relentless pursuit of those who victimize our community.”
Fentanyl is a man-made narcotic that is 50 times stronger than heroin, with just two milligrams deemed potentially lethal. Drug overdose and poisoning are the main causes of death among Americans aged 18 to 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Leave a Reply